Dog Friendly Festive Light Trail: Christmas at Bedgebury

I’ve mentioned it before, but one thing we really love is to be able to bring our dog with us when we go out and visit attractions, and it’s even better when he can join us for activities in the festive season, as he loves being part of the action.

One brilliant dog friendly attraction at this time of year is the “Christmas at Bedgebury” illuminated lights trail at Bedgebury Forest in Kent, which typically runs from the middle of November until the New Year.

This year was our second visit to the forest with our dachshund Rocky for the Christmas lights trail, and it is a great dog-friendly festive event. The only requirements are to keep your dog under control on a short lead, otherwise they are welcome throughout the event.

It is advisable to wrap up warm and dress for the weather, with suitable footwear, as the whole trail is outdoors and can also get a bit muddy in places. Rocky was wearing his favourite dachshund equafleece for the visit this time, as it was chilly and drizzling, but this kept him warm and dry.

The trail is clearly marked throughout the site, with a couple of places to stop on the trail for refreshments - the main cafe at the visitor centre, huts where you can purchase marshmallows to toast on open fire, and a separate food area about halfway round the trail with hot chocolate, mulled wine and other food options on offer.

Christmas at Bedgebury tends to be a very popular event, with tickets often selling out, so book ahead in good time to ensure you get a spot on the day and time you want to attend. Parking is limited, with separate pre-bookable tickets required to guarantee a parking spot on arrival.

One thing to bear in mind is that although this is a ticketed event with designated arrival slots, once on site you can stay as long as you like and it can get quite busy, so if your dog isn’t good around crowds of people, this may not be the best event for you.

Bedgebury Forest is a lovely place to take dogs for a walk at other times of year too, with plenty of pathways and trails to get a good dog walk in.